Southern guerrilla warfare: I led the Red Seventh Army Corps to amassed a million troops.

Zhou Zeyuan's expression turned serious at this moment. "I'm not really bothered by the fact that they tricked us into going to southern Anhui. What disappoints me is that they still chose to move westward instead of coming eastward to our Fujian-Zhejiang Soviet Area."

"Tell me, if our two armies join forces, our strength will reach an astonishing 150,000 troops, with more than 90,000 guns, possibly even close to 100,000. With such a powerful force, coupled with excellent command, we are fully capable of turning the tide."

Yu Qiubai felt a sense of approval, but as a veteran comrade, he had to uphold the authority of the Central Committee.

"The westward expedition was planned long ago, and the Second and Sixth Red Army Corps were sent out as vanguards to explore the way."

"Fujian's terrain is too cramped, with eight parts mountains, one part water, and one part farmland. The terrain is rugged and fragmented, and the resources are scarce. It is difficult to become the foundation for dominating the world."

"Have you ever heard of any dynasty in history... no, even any powerful separatist regime, that originated in Fujian?"

Zhou Zeyuan retorted without backing down, "Man proposes, God disposes. We are currently in the midst of a great upheaval unseen in three thousand years, and anything strange can happen."

"You have such a silver tongue, you can talk the dead back to life. For example?"

Zhou Zeyuan teased, "For example, I've never heard of any students from our ancient dynasties who went abroad and achieved no merit yet were able to hold high positions. Oh, right, that Zhu Qizhen, the 'Gatekeeper Emperor,' doesn't count; he was already the emperor."

Even though Yu Qiubai had developed an immunity to Zhou Zeyuan's bold remarks, he was still forced to smile wryly at this rebuttal.

He pointed at Zhou Zeyuan and shook his head: "Fine, say whatever you want. Anyway, it won't be a big deal if it gets out, no one can touch you."

"But I have to tell you, the convergence of our two armies and the unification of command will not be as easy as you think. The Central Column has arrived, and the Kuomintang's million-strong army has followed. They won't give us time to slowly integrate."

Zhou Zeyuan curled his lip. Integration? Ever heard of "carrying a knife on a rainy night"?

If my teacher takes over the command, wouldn't it be easy to unify the command?

Our tens of thousands of men are all imperial guards.

So, he asked again, still not giving up: "Didn't the Central Committee consider leaving the teacher behind to oversee the resistance in the southern provinces? If you ask me, he is the most suitable candidate. He has extensive experience, high prestige, and the ability to unite everyone's strength as one."

Yu Qiubai was so angry he laughed: "Don't even think about it. The people in the Central Committee know exactly what you're thinking. You have a body that weighs 160 pounds, but you have at least 150 pounds of rebellious spirit."

He paused, then said with a hint of resentment, "You say my prestige is enough? Don't I have enough prestige? Xiao Zeyuan, do you really want to work under your teacher? Would it be beneath you to be my subordinate?"

Zhou Zeyuan's eyes lit up. What's this called? It's practically double happiness!

How great would it be to be Qiu Bai's subordinate!

Although he preferred to serve his teacher, following Comrade Qiu Bai to conquer the world clearly offered him more freedom.

It's much more comfortable than working under some unknown big boss!

He tentatively asked, "Now that the Central Column has left, there must be personnel left behind. There should also be an organization to unify the command of the resistance forces in various provinces so that they can survive better."

"If you were to become the General Secretary, then absolutely no one in our Fujian-Zhejiang Military Region, or even the tens of thousands of soldiers in the entire Northern Expeditionary Anti-Japanese Vanguard, would dare to disobey, including me."

Yu Qiubai was caught off guard by his direct question and coughed twice: "Alas, it was too early. The Central Committee only has this intention; the formal decision has not yet been made."

Zhou Zeyuan's face fell: "Is the central government going to make empty promises again?"

"What nonsense are you talking about, kid?" Yu Qiubai glared at him. "You guys played so well, I, as the leader, also benefited. It should be pretty much a done deal."

"However, this supreme command structure is not my sole authority. I reckon there will be at least two other comrades joining me in the leadership group. You should be prepared for that."

Zhou Zeyuan thought to himself, "What am I going to do? A local official is more powerful than a distant one."

No matter how powerful the other top leaders are, as long as they're not around, there's no need to worry about them giving bad orders.

Yu Qiubai didn't continue the topic, but instead changed the subject: "Tell me, how's Comrade Huaizhou's situation in southern Anhui? I get the feeling he hasn't moved much lately, just staying in this area. The Nationalist troops on the outskirts are gathering more and more; isn't that a bit too risky?"

In recent years, Xun Huaizhou has focused more on local development, which has allowed the seeds of revolution to be sown throughout southern Anhui.

However, it also limited the mobility of the main force, and the tactics were not as unpredictable as before.

Each strategic retreat was to avoid the main force of the Nationalist army. After avoiding it, they would not increase the distance but would stop in the same place again.

But if the Nationalist army dares to advance with small, lightly equipped units, he will not hesitate to launch a swift and decisive attack.

They could wipe out two or three regiments at once, or even an entire ragtag enemy division!

This forced the main force of the National Revolutionary Army to stick together!

If they don't stick together, they might get eaten up, but if they stick together, their speed will decrease, and they won't be able to catch up with Xun Huaizhou.

This caused a major headache for the top brass of the National Revolutionary Army.

The only solution recently has been to create a large net on the outside and then gradually tighten it inwards, hoping to capture the prey in one fell swoop.

But Zhou Zeyuan knew very well that as long as the Red Army had the support of the masses, it would have the advantage of knowing the terrain well, and breaking through would be very easy.

To be honest, he didn't understand Xun Huaizhou's strategic purpose at first, but recently he has figured it out.

Several strategic shifts occurred, sometimes to the east, sometimes to the west, sometimes to the south, and sometimes to the north, but overall the location shifted northward, getting closer and closer to the Yangtze River.

The Nationalist army even began deploying warships on the river to prevent Xun Huaizhou from crossing the river northward and entering the Hubei-Henan-Anhui region!

But if a commander's strategic intentions are so easily discerned, then he is not a good commander.

With the main force of the National Revolutionary Army being pulled north, the Jinqu Basin in the south was left vulnerable.

Zhou Zeyuan replied, "Responsible and capable commanders like us all have a common problem: we like to take on as much risk and pressure as possible to create a better combat environment for our comrades."

"He's drawing fire for Fang Zhimin and Wang Rui'ou. Don't worry, he's not one to act recklessly; the Nationalist army's ironclad defenses can't hold him."

Yu Qiubai instinctively wanted to retort, "You're quite narcissistic."

But upon closer examination, there's nothing wrong with what he said. He was indeed impeccable in terms of responsibility and skill, but he spoke too directly and lacked the humility of old-school revolutionaries.

"Oh, that's good." Yu Qiubai picked up the telegram on the table again and glanced at it. "How should we reply to Su Yu?"

"Tell him it's true and worth a try. There's no need to remind him to be careful; he's cautious to the core."